You're Invited! Angie Thomas Celebration
JACKSON, Miss.—A public reception in honor of Angie Thomas, author of New York Times bestseller The Hate U Give, will be held on Wednesday, October 10, at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. R&B artist Kerry Thomas will perform. The first 100 attendees will receive a free ticket to the movie premier at Malco Grandview Cinema on Thursday, October 11.
“This book is timely and brilliant,” said Ebony Lumumba. “Angie has beautifully captured the pain and love a community feels when tragedy engulfs it. What she has produced has the potential to bring folks together who otherwise may have never acknowledged each other’s humanity. I’ve always thought it would be the writers who would save us. Angie is one of them.”
A private reception featuring a meet and greet with Thomas will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. The $100 ticket to the private reception includes a ticket to the film premier at Malco Grandview Theater in Madison on Thursday, October 11. Tickets may be purchased online through the Well Writers Guild, an organization on whose board Thomas serves. Mayor Chokwe Antar and Ebony Lumumba will be at the private reception.
“Angie Thomas is a superstar writer who never forgets her roots and her early friends and supporters,” said Holly Lange, executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival, who is co-chairing the event with Leisha Pickering, a local businesswoman who also serves on the board of the Well Writers Guild. “The Mississippi Book Festival is proud of our partnership with her, and we are thrilled with her success. We know she has more great stories to tell. She's an inspiration to us all.”
The event is sponsored by Mayor Chokwe Antar and Ebony Lumumba, the Well Writers Guild, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Mississippi Book Festival with substantial support from New Horizon Church International and Bishop Ronnie Crudup.
The Well Writers Guild, under the direction of Joe Maxwell, led the charge to celebrate Thomas. The Well Writers Guild mentors talented youth writers in often underserved areas of Mississippi. Thomas also serves on the Board of Directors of the Well Writers Guild and proceeds from the event will go to support the cause, which is dear to Thomas’s heart.
Join the fun tomorrow night! You're invited Mississippi is where America's writers flourish. Angie is on the board of my nonprofit, The Well Writers Guild, which identifies talented young writers in Mississippi and helps them advance their creative skills while enjoying peer interaction and experiencing the thrill of being published. We especially seek out gifted writers in under-served school systems. We train 40 now with plans to double in our 2nd year.
The Museum of Mississippi History opened alongside the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum December 9, 2017, in celebration of the state's bicentennial. The Museum of Mississippi History explores the entire sweep of the state's history. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum explores the period from 1945 to 1976, when Mississippi was ground zero for the Civil Rights Movement nationally. The museums are located at 222 North Street in Jackson. The Two Mississippi Museums are administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Established as a non-profit organization in 2013 by a group of literacy advocates, the Mississippi Book Festival is held on the lawn of the state Capitol and next year’s book festival is scheduled for August 17, 2019. For additional information about this event, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1866753420092335/.
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